Chamber and committees

I thank Alex Cole-Hamilton for bringing the debate to the chamber; I completely agree with him that Scotland’s natural environment deserves the highest standards of protection.

When I was elected to South Ayrshire Council as a councillor back in 2017, I was extremely alarmed to learn that Ayr beach water quality had been classified as poor for several years and that, if it tested poor for five consecutive years, Ayr beach would lose its designated bathing water status. Ayr beach is unique and the situation was challenging, as the River Doon and the River Ayr both run in at Ayr beach. Agricultural run-off from neighbouring farms was another factor that was affecting the water quality there. Losing bathing water status would be catastrophic for Ayr.

As a ward councillor at the time, I worked with Keep Scotland Beautiful. I thank my colleague Emma Harper, who, back in 2018, arranged a meeting at the Scottish Parliament between me, Scottish Water and SEPA to discuss how we could improve the water quality at Ayr beach. During 2020, Scottish Water invested £10 million to include three increased storm storage tanks in the surrounding area.

In 2021, Ayr beach, after being classified as poor for four years in a row, finally—with collaborative work from South Ayrshire Council, SEPA, Scottish Water, supported by the Scottish Government, and farmers and rural land managers—received classification as good.

However, the work does not stop there. It is indisputable that the discharge of raw sewage into rivers and seas in Scotland is, unfortunately, on the increase. Scottish Water has said that the growing problem of sewage discharge into rivers is caused not by a failure to provide the correct infrastructure but by the increase in heavy rain as a result of climate change. Climate change and flooding is a huge problem.

I highlight an on-going project in Prestwick, where there are historical and complex issues relating to sewer flooding. In 2019, the Prestwick strategic drainage project was set up; it included Scottish Water, elected members, Ayrshire Roads Alliance and local community councils. The aim of the group is to identify strategic short-term, medium-term and long-term measures to be put in place in local areas of concern where flooding occurs regularly. Short-term solutions were put in place, such as speed tables, where the tarmac on the road is raised slightly to alleviate flooding, and medium-term solutions such as new storage pipes and water tanks are planned.

The on-going work has led to improvements in Prestwick. However, there are things that we, in individual households, can do to mitigate surface water flooding when we experience increased rain as a result of climate change. For example, rain butts—big tubs that hold rainwater—can be used in gardens, along with rain garden planters. We can also limit the area that we tarmac—for example, driveways—as that adds to the problem of surface water locally because it cannot be absorbed into the ground. We can all do our bit and be mindful about climate change.

I welcome that the Scottish Government is being proactive in this regard and has implemented its “River Basin Management Plan for Scotland 2021-2027”, which takes comprehensive action on sewage spills, among other water quality issues. The plan includes actions to increase monitoring, provide more public information and reduce sewage litter and spill frequency. I look forward to hearing from the minister on how the plan is going.

I welcome the genuine concerns that members have raised tonight. However, I highlight that Scotland’s bathing water quality is the best that it has been since 2015, when stricter standards came into force. On top of that, 38 per cent of bathing sites are now rated as excellent. In addition, we should not forget that Scotland has the highest number of high-quality rivers in the UK, with 66 per cent in good condition; I look forward to that number increasing further as a result of the improvement plans that SEPA has outlined.

I want to see Scotland as a world leader in water quality, across all possible measures. Yes, we have our problems, and those need to be addressed, but we are improving and are on our way to reaching that goal.

Will data on youth vaping that is collected from the local schools survey be collated and considered in the Scottish Government’s tobacco action plan that is due to be published next year?

It is vital that the families and relatives involved have the utmost confidence in the public inquiry and that the process allows for credible answers to be reached. Can the Deputy First Minister provide further assurances that the important progress that has been made so far by the inquiry is continued and that it will be done in a transparent manner that operates independently of ministers?

Will the member take an intervention?

A press release from Inclusion Scotland this morning said that a lot of disabled Scots are worried about dying this winter because of the cost of living crisis. In fact, 75 per cent are not eating or not heating their homes at the moment. Does Jeremy Balfour acknowledge that his party’s policies—Brexit and the recent chaos down at Westminster—are to blame for what is a broken UK?

Absolutely. Thank you for that answer.

We have three minutes left, so I will bring in Brian Whittle for a brief supplementary question.

I thank Professor Morris for his evidence and his time, and I apologise for the technical issues at the beginning of the meeting. If you would like to submit any further evidence to the committee, please do so in writing. The clerks will be happy to liaise with you on that.

I briefly suspend the meeting to allow Professor Morris to leave.

I move to the second item on the agenda, under which we will conclude our pre-budget scrutiny by taking evidence from the Scottish Government.

I welcome to the meeting, from the Scottish Government, John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery; Simon Mair, the deputy director of Covid recovery and public sector reform; Andrew Watson, the director of budget and public spending and Christine McLaughlin, the director of population health. Thank you all for attending this morning.

Deputy First Minister, would you like to make any remarks before we move on to questions?

I know that you briefly touched on this in your opening statement. Following the UK Government’s fiscal announcement last week—we will not get any more information until 23 November—can you update the committee on any changes to the Scottish Government’s fiscal timetable and approach to budget setting?